The distinctive pansy motif is found only occasionally in Quimper and is a great favorite of collectors. This vase is particularly interesting because the fresh spring pansies decorate both sides.

Vases of this type, while they are called tulipiers, can of course be filled with any stemmed flowers. The six openings make flower arranging an easy task. Without flowers, the vase stands alone as a decorative piece.
 

The vase must have slipped in someone’s hand at some point during its passage through the years. On the side illustrated to the right there is a chip in the blue and white rim at the top and a hairline extending from the chip along the rim and then downward partway to the far left pansy. There are also two chips on the bottom rim, one clearly visible in the photo and the other farther to the right. The other side of the vase, shown above, is in excellent condition.

The vase is 7¼" high and 5½" wide. It is marked HR Quimper and was produced around 1910.

                                                          SOLD

These two Malicorne 7¼" round wall pockets with flowing ribbons can be hung on a wall or serve as decorative pieces on a long table. The gentleman is lounging on a mound of grass, his walking stick at his side. The smiling lady holds her market basket and the Malicorne designers’ favorite umbrella.

The dealer from whom I purchased the hats in a French country town told me that they were originally meant to hold sprigs of boxwood which had been blessed by a priest on Palm Sunday.
                                                          

The painting on the two pieces is well executed in classic Malicorne style. The wallpocket with the man is signed PBx, as illustrated below. Condition of both is excellent.

The wallpockets date from the early 1900s and are pierced for hanging.